Chapter Three: One Against a Hundred

Opening the system shop, he found a vast array of items, including medicinal pills, spiritual artifacts, cultivation manuals, and martial techniques.

It is worth noting the item hierarchy of the Tianyuan Continent. Spiritual artifacts, cultivation manuals, and martial techniques are all divided into four tiers—Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow—with each tier further subdivided into low, medium, and high grades. Medicinal pills are classified from the first to the ninth grade, corresponding directly to the levels of the martial path. The inner armor and dagger his father had given Lu Xingchen were both of the low Mysterious grade, already considered treasures within the Great Yan Kingdom.

After browsing, he took a liking to two spiritual artifacts:
Wind Spirit Boots: Yellow-tier medium grade, priced at 50 exchange points.
Purple Star Bow: Yellow-tier high grade, priced at 100 exchange points.

The Wind Spirit Boots would enhance his survivability, while the Purple Star Bow was an offensive weapon; both were crucial. After a moment of contemplation, Lu Xingchen decided to redeem the Wind Spirit Boots first. With a major battle imminent, every bit of strength he could gain was vital.

His exchange points were cleared, and the Wind Spirit Boots appeared in his storage ring.

Once the battlefield was cleared, Shen Tao shouted, "We succeeded in our raid, and everyone has performed a great service! When we return, the drinks are on me!" Upon hearing there would be wine, the new recruits were overjoyed.

Back at the camp, Shen Tao walked up to Lu Xingchen with a cup of wine. "Lu Dazhuang, thank you for saving my life."

Lu Xingchen laughed, "I see you noticed. Captain, you are the backbone of this group; helping you was only natural."

Shen Tao said in a deep voice, "Regardless, I owe you my life!"

At dawn the next day, Lu Xingchen was awakened by the assembly bugle and fell into formation under Shen Tao's leadership. "Captain Lin Wanqing is launching an attack on a Fengming Kingdom unit. Our archery squadron will follow the Captain's orders and inflict as much damage on the enemy as possible. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

Half an hour later, Lu Xingchen finally caught sight of the legendary Lin Wanqing. She wore blue iron armor, possessed delicate features, and had three thousand strands of dark hair flowing down to her waist. She lacked the heroic, imposing air he had imagined, instead giving off a soft and gentle impression. Had he not heard of her formidable battle record, Lu Xingchen might have underestimated her.

The army set out and encountered the Fengming Kingdom's forces on an open plain. Lin Wanqing had brought her full strength—a battalion of one thousand soldiers—aiming to completely annihilate the five hundred enemy troops.

The battle broke out instantly. A system notification rang in Lu Xingchen's ears:
[Congratulations to the host for receiving a mission: A Trial of Skill. Requirements: Kill twenty infantrymen and twenty archers within one hour. Rewards: 50 experience points, 50 exchange points, and the Yellow-tier high-grade martial technique "Stone-Crushing Palm."]

His heart leaped with joy. As expected, the battlefield was the best place to grind levels! As long as he completed the missions, his strength would surely skyrocket. However, the enemy archers were in the rear, protected by other soldiers. How could he reach them?

The front lines of both sides began to charge. Lu Xingchen drew his bow and notched an arrow, aiming to inflict maximum casualties before the close-quarters fighting began.

[Congratulations to the host for killing a one-star martial artist. Gained one experience point and one exchange point!]
[Congratulations to the host for acquiring the talent: Heavy Strike. Effect: The next basic attack after using a martial technique deals one extra point of damage.]

Lu Xingchen was delighted. A talent dropped with his very first kill? This talent was a versatile and highly practical asset.

The battle grew intense, with both sides suffering continuous losses. However, the battalion led by Lin Wanqing fought with high morale and clearly held the upper hand. Just then, another Fengming Kingdom unit, numbering a full thousand, appeared behind their army. This sudden arrival of enemy reinforcements quickly formed a pincer movement, leaving Lin Wanqing surrounded.

Before Shen Tao could react, the enemy archers launched a volley at the archery squadron. The squadron lost half its men in an instant. Shen Tao’s eyes turned red immediately. These were soldiers he had personally recruited and trained; how could he not feel the pain of such heavy casualties?

"Counterattack!" Shen Tao roared. Lin Wanqing also reacted, ordering her rear guard to engage the enemy. Lu Xingchen, fueled by rage, began trading fire with the enemy archers.

[Congratulations to the host for killing a one-star martial artist. Gained one experience point and one exchange point!]
[Congratulations to the host for killing a two-star martial artist. Gained two experience points and two exchange points!]
[Congratulations to the host for reaching the three-star martial artist realm. Gained three talent points!]

Despite Shen Tao’s frantic efforts, the disadvantage in numbers and the surprise ambush put the archery squadron on the back foot. Within minutes, only Shen Tao and Lu Xingchen remained, while over a hundred enemy archers still stood. Shen Tao took an arrow to his right arm, losing his ability to fight. Seeing the enemy archers preparing to target the infantry, Lu Xingchen stepped forward, taking on the hundred-man force single-handedly. Every time he released an arrow, an enemy soldier fell.

The enemy archer commander cursed, "Damn it! There's one tough bastard left! Focus fire, take him down first!"

A hundred arrows flew toward Lu Xingchen simultaneously. He poured all his talent points into "Eagle Eye," extending his visual range by 20 meters, and combined with the Wind Spirit Boots, he perfectly evaded every single arrow.

In the brief intervals between his agile dodges, he drew his bow and notched arrows, taking down more enemies.

[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission: A Trial of Skill. Rewards: 50 experience points, 50 exchange points, and the Yellow-tier high-grade martial technique "Stone-Crushing Palm!"]
[Congratulations to the host for reaching the four-star martial artist realm. Gained four talent points!]

A warm current flowed through him, significantly increasing Lu Xingchen's strength. He immediately redeemed the Purple Star Bow from the system shop, aimed at the enemy commander, and let an arrow fly! A whistling sound cut through the air as the arrow pierced the commander's palm and buried itself deep into his skull.

[Congratulations to the host for killing an eight-star martial artist. Gained eight experience points and eight exchange points!]
[Congratulations to the host for reaching the five-star martial artist realm. Gained five talent points!]

The corners of Lu Xingchen's mouth curled upward. Last time he faced an eight-star martial artist, he could only wound him. This time, he had actually killed one. His progress was truly rapid!

With their commander dead, the enemy archers panicked. Fearing they would be next, they retreated, moving out of Lu Xingchen's range and rendering them unable to attack the Great Yan soldiers. In a sense, Lu Xingchen had single-handedly repelled over a hundred elite archers!

Just as Lu Xingchen was about to continue farming experience, he noticed a powerful expert from the Fengming Kingdom rushing toward him. Checking the indicator above the man's head, he saw it was a two-star Martial Master. The expert's speed was even greater than his own with the Wind Spirit Boots, and any ordinary soldier who crossed his path was either killed or maimed.

Lu Xingchen's heart sank. Disaster—the enemy had noticed his terrifying output and was attempting a decapitation strike!

Lu Xingchen hurriedly activated the Wind Spirit Boots to retreat while using the Purple Star Bow to attack the Martial Master. But there was a full major realm difference between them; Lu Xingchen's arrows couldn't penetrate the expert's defenses, and the distance between them closed rapidly.

Finally, after Lu Xingchen fired his fifth arrow, the Martial Master reached him. Gritting his teeth, Lu Xingchen stowed the Purple Star Bow and drew his dagger, hoping to poison the opponent. However, the expert swung his long blade, knocking the dagger away, and immediately slapped a palm toward him.

His inner armor blocked most of the damage, but the immense force sent him flying backward. The Martial Master was slightly taken aback, then sneered, "Inner armor? Looks like you're quite the character, kid! In that case, I can't let you live!"

He stomped the ground, leaped above Lu Xingchen, and brought his blade down!